MaxThink seems to have suddenly stopped saving its documents. I can save once, but after that I get an error saying the title is invalid. (I've tried different titles, so the actual content isn't the issue.) I can then save using a different title, but only once, after which I must again "save as" under another title. I suspect something was broken by a Microsoft Update, but I have no specific evidence of the cause. Neil Larson responded cryptically, asking me to try it [I'm not sure what] on a different computer. I don't have one available at the moment, and I understand neither what I'm to try or what it would prove.

Can anyone tell me if they're experiencing this saving problem with MaxThink on Windows XP (SP3)?

Steve D: This won't directly help you, I'm afraid, but my experience suggests that MaxThink, or at least the current version, has problems. In my case, I tried installing a trial copy, but when I ran it, I was "told" there were 0 days left. I contacted Neil and he modified the program to make it a 60-day trial, but the problem continued. I informed him of this, but it's been about three weeks later & I have had no reply.

I assume you've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the program, or reverting to an earlier version.

P.S. Since you are running XP, may I suggest that you and others try to find a copy of Norton GoBack 4. (Symantec bought an earlier version from earlier developers, but has not updated it for Vista.)
GoBack allows you to restore your hard disk to an earlier time. So, if you suddenly have problems, you can restore it to before the problems occurred. There are limits based on your hard disk activity and disk space allocated to GoBack storage. In my case I can usually go back 2 to 3 days. It has saved me many times.

(I recall that you tried another type of "restore" program, but was unhappy with it.)

-c

@Steve,

To confirm that this is a Windows update related problem, you can use System Restore to go back a few days (before the problem started). If the problem persists, it is likely something else, perhaps a data file issue.

Either way, you'll likely want to redo a System Restore to get back to your current system (a restore point is created when going back in time, when installing programs, when Windows updates, etc)

I hope this helps!

I disabled automatic Windows updates over a year ago. Some caused havoc with my programs. Regrettably, MS sometimes does a "stealth" update even if you have auto update turned off.

P.S. If you go back to a system restore point, do this to keep Windows from auto-updating again: 1. Disconnect from internet (turn off wireless connection or unplug).
2. Do the restore.
3. Turn off Windows auto update.
4. Reconnect to Internet

Stephen, I am using MaxThink on Windows XP SP3 but do not experience the problem you mentioned, even though I keep Windows updated.

Note that my installed version of Maxthink is rather old (2.47 of 18 December 2008) so it may be a combination of Maxthink version and Windows update that's causing the issue.

Unfortunately, though I haven't yet updated the working program, I have downloaded a much more recent version of Maxthink's installation file replacing my previous one.

You may however note my experience to Neil and he can perhaps provide you with an earlier version of Maxthink if this is the issue.

Alexander

Alex's ideas sound "spot-on." Since I could not run MaxThink's latest version during a trial, there may be a problem in the section of coding that permits/denies proper running of MaxThink based on the existence/non-existence of a registration code. (Note: I always keep the setup of at least the next-to-most recent version of programs, as I've occasionally had new versions "bomb."

-c

Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

Stephen, I am using MaxThink on Windows XP SP3 but do not experience the problem you
mentioned, even though I keep Windows updated.

Note that my installed version of
Maxthink is rather old (2.47 of 18 December 2008) so it may be a combination of Maxthink
version and Windows update that's causing the issue.

That's actually the latest version. Since my suspicion about Windows updating wasn't based on anything substantive in the first place, I abandon the update theory.

Unfortunately, though I
haven't yet updated the working program, I have downloaded a much more recent version
of Maxthink's installation file replacing my previous one.

You may however note my
experience to Neil and he can perhaps provide you with an earlier version of Maxthink
if this is the issue.

Alexander

I suspect that for some reason after you save the first time, the file "locks" and MaxThink can't access it again. The situation sounds familiar but with some other program, probably MS Word. I'm not sure what had happened or what I did at the time.

Any chance that you've installed some new antivirus before you experienced the issue? They sometimes identify files as contaminated when they are not and will not let you access them.

Alexander

After reading this, I turned off anti-virus and firewall protection without affective the problem.

Here's the present status. I can save only with "Save as," but I _can_ save to the same file name. Simply, "Save" is broken; "Save as" works. But not completely, which maybe is a clue, although I don't know to what. I have to call "Save as" twice for the menu to appear; nothing happens the first time.


Alexander Deliyannis wrote:

I suspect that for some reason after you save the first time, the file "locks" and
MaxThink can't access it again. The situation sounds familiar but with some other
program, probably MS Word. I'm not sure what had happened or what I did at the
time.

Any chance that you've installed some new antivirus before you experienced
the issue? They sometimes identify files as contaminated when they are not and will
not let you access them.

Alexander

Stephen R. Diamond wrote:

After reading this, I turned off anti-virus and firewall protection without
affective the problem.

Should be "affecting the problem." Interpretations unwelcome.

Here's the present status. I can save only with "Save as,"
but I _can_ save to the same file name. Simply, "Save" is broken; "Save as" works. But
not completely, which maybe is a clue, although I don't know to what. I have to call
"Save as" twice for the menu to appear; nothing happens the first time.


Alexander
Deliyannis wrote:
>I suspect that for some reason after you save the first time, the
file "locks" and
>MaxThink can't access it again. The situation sounds familiar but
with some other
>program, probably MS Word. I'm not sure what had happened or what I
did at the
>time.
>
>Any chance that you've installed some new antivirus before you
experienced
>the issue? They sometimes identify files as contaminated when they
are not and will
>not let you access them.
>
>Alexander
>

Cassius wrote:

Steve D: This won't directly help you, I'm afraid, but my experience suggests that
MaxThink, or at least the current version, has problems. In my case, I tried
installing a trial copy, but when I ran it, I was "told" there were 0 days left. I
contacted Neil and he modified the program to make it a 60-day trial, but the problem
continued. I informed him of this, but it's been about three weeks later & I have had no
reply.

I'm thinking my own query to Neil about any ideas concerning this problem was presumptuous. A developer selling a product so underpriced isn't obligated to include technical support on possibly exogenous issues. Except, Neil has said he wants to resolve the bugs that took years to resolve on DOS because some bugs affect only certain systems.

My tenaciously held view is that MaxThink in concept is *the* state of the art in pure outlining. But the glaring idiosyncrasies create a learning curve worse than any other program I've stuck with besides Microsoft Word. Unlike Word, which I recall was incremental, in MaxThink I go through plateaus and spurts depending on insights on how to check my reflexive responses. For instance, without giving the matter attention, I found I couldn't check my motor "belief" that clicking an arrow is the way to move an item to a subordinate position. (Now, if you think about it, the more "modern" procedures are convenient, but they aren't very close to paralleling the mental operation of subordination to another topic. A long time ago I posted on mental versus physical ergonomics in the other forum.)

It might help others if I relate some of the mental shortcuts that helped curb one's motor generalizations.

1. Don't press F10 or anything else ending a topic until you have decided where the topic that follows will go.

2. Learn the ways of accomplishing commands that come easily and forget the others. MaxThink's alternative routes to the same objective is to accommodate different habits or styles, not to suit different individual purposes.

3. Familiarize youself with what MaxThink can do, but then learn to use them as the need arises. It isn't necessary to master the program in advance. (But, unless you're very different from me, you do need a strategy to inhibit malaptative generalizations from orthodox Windows.

Still, have I have to do a save as whenever I save, that's a bit much. What's next in line. To me, NoteMap and Brainstorm are each one-half of an outliner. I'm leaning toward Brainstorm, because it has the more important half.

I assume you've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the program, or
reverting to an earlier version.

P.S. Since you are running XP, may I suggest that
you and others try to find a copy of Norton GoBack 4. (Symantec bought an earlier
version from earlier developers, but has not updated it for Vista.)
GoBack allows
you to restore your hard disk to an earlier time. So, if you suddenly have problems, you
can restore it to before the problems occurred. There are limits based on your hard
disk activity and disk space allocated to GoBack storage. In my case I can usually go
back 2 to 3 days. It has saved me many times.

(I recall that you tried another type of
"restore" program, but was unhappy with it.)

-c

Steve D: If you're desperate enough...

FireFox started driving me nuts a couple of weeks ago. It would let me click once in a Window or Tab, but then would freeze. However, if say, I also open a folder, I can do the following, which frees up Firefox for one more click!

Alt-Tab between FireFox and the folder and then Alt-Tab back to Firefox.